I Scream!

Nothing brings me more joy than those few licks of that sweet flavored milk- ice-cream. You think being buried in the cold of Seattle I would want to drink my tea or hot chocolate all day. Wrong. My sweet tooth seems to always come into play during happy hour. Luckily for me, Seattle holds one of the finest and simplistic ice cream pallor called Molly Moon's. As all their ice creams are homemade,  I always tend to turn to their Earl Grey with a waffle cone. And let me tell you, their waffle cones are yummy and cruuuuuuunchy!

So cheers to some delicious ice-cream in the cold!

Gift Guide.

Hustling and bustling, I am ready for the Holidays. It's that time of year again where traffic sucks. While sitting through the non-impetus traffics two days ago, I took the time to think about some gift ideas to share with you guys; whether it is for the beau, the gals, or for yourself (we all earned it!). As for me, I will probably spend most of my Holiday shopping online- avoiding fights for parking spots, waiting in endless lines, and holiday shopping crowds. I mean why not? Snuggled up in the cozy confines of my home and a nice cup of peppermint hot chocolate, what could be better? So get ready to click, swipe, tap, and most importantly smile onto some of the best finds this season!

KNOTUSELF GIFT GUIDE: 

F O R  T H E  B E A U ____________________________________

Herschel Little America Backpack in Ranch Black, $290 / Converse Chuck Taylor Low Trainers in Black, $71 / Pier 1 Imports mustache mug / Crosley X UO Cruiser Briefcase Portable Vinyl Record Player / Smartphone Projector

F O R  T H E  G A L S______________________________________

Charlotte Olympia gold flat / Converse leather flat / Ray-Ban polarized sunglasses / Frends headphone / Fujifilm instax SHARE Smartphone Printer / Banana republic hat / FEED 2 Bag

O T H E R  I D E A S________________________________________

Madewell cropped turtleneck / Madewell flat pumps / Madewell high top trainers / ASOS nude purse, $24 / Madewell layered chain necklace / Madewell tartan scarve / NARS Cosmetics light pink nail polish / Monogram mug / Honestly Healthy for Life, $39

Talk with Richard Ma.

Raw, believable, and beautiful are not strong enough words to describe that certain scenery you witness in person. How do you describe to someone that exact, perfect view of the sunset you see as the waves shiver in and out of the sand, and all the colors in the sky seem to paint each other perfectly. Immediately, your image is probably much different than mine, as I have added some turtles crawling back to sea (only because turtles happen to be my favorite animal). A photo can project a thousand words right? And that is why cameras that contain video recording is just simply amazing. So thanks to Frenchman Louis Lumiere , we can now bring images to life. The simple movements, colors, and sounds projected in front of you become surreal- mostly because people have some mad editing skills.

Richard Ma - current UCLA student- is one of the few people I know who can bring that certain awe to life. He is able to capture specific thoughts and images in such simplistic way that somehow each of his videos just seemed to be plastered with the perfect settings, images, characters, and music. Not to mention his editing knowledge and skills is impeccable; makes you wonder why he isn't famous already. His palpable videos makes you speechless, but most importantly it makes you think and question. What was the story behind it? Why did she do that? What was the point to the conversation? And I certainly believe that questioning is what makes things even more beautiful- it's the hint of sprinkle. Fortunately for us, Richard was more than happy to share with Knotuself today some of his favorites. So let your mind sink into these beautiful videos, and think. And if you're itching for more- which I know you will be after watching these- check out his youtube channel. 

Them (A short film): 

James Vincent McMorrow - Post Tropical (Unofficial Music Video):

Suburbia (A short film): 

1. People call me: Rich/Richie/Reechy.

2. I can't live without: My heart.

3. One place I want to visit is: New Zealand.

4. My favorite book is: The Little Prince.

5. Life needs a little more: Lemons.  

6. I smile when:  I see a puppy do a barrel roll. 

Diary of Japan.

Finally, a scavenger away from home, and an adventure where food, fashion, and drinking is taken very seriously- Japan. I was fortunate enough to spend a week in Japan with my family over summer, flying to Sapporo and finishing our trip in Tokyo. Before I start, a warning should be put out- I probably had soft serve ice cream almost everyday here in Japan. Japan's ice-cream is absolutely creamy and fresh that I couldn't' resist it. So, if you see a lot of ice-cream photos, you know why.

Sapporo- Now, this vacation mainly resided in the countryside, besides the first day in Sapporo. Quiet, peaceful, and most importantly breathtaking. Every scenery was naturally photogenic. The ambiance of each different atmosphere seemed to release a sort of freshness and colorful environment. On our first day in Sapporo, we made our way to the Otaru Canal. Before having time to walk around, along the canal, we had dinner at a seafood barbecue restaurant. Smokey? Yes. Delicious? Absolutely. So many varieties were given to grill such as, scallops, claims, sausage, corn, and different sorts of vegetables. After a good meal, we took a walk along the canal. Now what amazed me the most was along this canal, there were a few vendors selling little items. One particularly caught my sister and my eyes. This middle-age man was hand making name necklace or rings. So delicate and elegant we decided to get one for ourselves.

Now, what I always loved about these Japan vacations with my family is that every hotel we seem to stay at provide buffet style breakfast- my favorite. (Probably because no one pressures you to order things that seem to be foreign to you). No matter what hotel we seem to be at, my plate always seem to come back colorful.

Noboribesu Onsen- Next stop, Noboribesu Onsen. Due to my poor memory at this time, I only specifically remember attending the Winter Sport Museum, where at the very top of the Museum we were able to see a phenomenal view.

Hakodate- Spending only a day in each city can be quite exhausting, but I think it's worth it. The next day, we managed to make our way to Hakodate. Starting our day, we visited Onuma Seminational Park. Better known for its picturesque, island dotted lakes and majestic dormant volcano.

Yunokawa, Aomori, Lake Towada- How we managed to cover all three of these places in one day baffles me. But we managed. What I forgot to mentioned is after our first day in Sapporo, each hotel we stayed at after all had Hot springs. Hot springs are a spring of naturally hot water, typically heated by subterranean volcanic activity. Sounds relaxing- right? We were so fortunate that one night, one of the hotels had hot springs inside the room. Each room had their own hot springs facing a private beach. Absolutely amazing. And the fun part is, our rooms were tatamis where we would sleep on bamboo floor.

Morioka, Kakunodate, Tsunagi Onsen- After arriving at Lake Towada Onsen, we made our way to actually visiting the lake. One word- breathtaking. the water was so clear and clean that I could easily dip my toes in and see everything. The fish swimming around were all visible, and the richness of how blue the lake was, was unreal. It was so peaceful that it made you just forget everything.

Hiraizumi, Matsushima- Our last night in Japan, and we visited a few historical sites include Chusonji Temple. We spend some time doing more site seeing, and my favorite ice cream eating.

Sendai, Tokyo- Unfortunately, we weren't able to spend more than an hour or so in Tokyo (so another blog post will be saved for Tokyo- eventually). But we were able to take the Bullet Train from Sendai to Tokyo, as we took off from the country side, to the city.

Even though I can't recall every details of our trip to Japan, overall I would say it was a success and an inspiring trip. Never had my taste bud been happier. It opened my eyes to different forms of beauty, freshness of foods, and most important the wonders of spending time with my family.

The London Plane.

First exam has been demolished and now onto the fun extravaganza! After my first midterm (physics-for those who are actually curious), I decided to go out on a little outing to celebrate this little moment. I need a reason to celebrate, right? So the lovely Yasi and I danced our way to Pioneer Square in Seattle. After scrolling through infamous number of Instagram pages I came across a photo that featured The London Plane. 

Now, let me tell you this place is absolutely a "one stop haven" and oh so very dreamy. It is everything you can possibly want in one store. Undeniably, this place includes speciality foods for grocery, a floral shop, and a petite cafe. It is literally part everything. It in captures colors that are just unforeseen in my everyday life (especially when I'm at school). The huge windows that seem to circumference the entire store just brings in this natural, beauty of a lighting that makes everything in their store even prettier and more delicate in every simplistic way.

We decided to make a visit around lunch time. I must say though don't come too hungry as every plating seems to be perfectly petite and delicate. I plan on making a trip back here for their brunch menu featured Saturday and Sunday, as I have heard amazing things about it. But to continue on to lunch- I decided to order half size of olive oil poached local albacore tuna with charmoula as Yasi ordered decadent pork topped with fresh, grazed onions. As well we decided to order a side of bread with herb butter. Their menu offers a variety of healthful choices- I mean they had beet hummus. Honestly, that sounds freaking delicious, which I have yet to try.

So if you are around the area, make a pit stop for a snack or a drink. Most importantly, take multitudinous number of photos.

The London Plane

300 Occidental Avenue South

Seattle, WA 98104

Talk with Sherry Kuo.

When I fondled through Sherry Kuo's artwork, I couldn't have been more excited to share with you her works. Sherry-missartistic-Kuo. Looking through her pieces, you can easily see how each painting has their own charisma and personality; in yet, each one holds a signature touch. Yes I said "their" not "it"- I mean come on- each artwork she executes has their own personality and character to them.

I have known the lovely Sherry for awhile now, as we actually attended art class together- once upon a time. And man, has her pallet grown. She has an impetus that she carries allowing her mind and hand  to freely dance across any canvas, paper, or surface. As time passes- especially now that she attends Art Center College of Design, I know there is nothing that is stopping her ambition to keep growing and creating such delicious artwork as she solely concentrates on herself and her creations. What an extraordinnaire she is. 

So yeah, she's cool. Basically she can just draw whatever she wants whenever she wants. Oh, did I mention she goes to art school? And may I just add, there is never a dull moment to her personality- more bonus points to her. Sherry definitely got down and dirty on Knotuself today by sharing her pieces with us. So, get ready for your eyes to go oooo and ahhhhhh. 

1. People call me: Sherr.

2. I can't live without: Boba. 

3. One place I want to visit is: Italy. 

4. My favorite book is: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Forer. 

5. Life needs a little more: Loving.  

6. I smile when:  I see others genuinely happy. 

Smoothie Dance.

Every time I am back home (in California), my dad always emphasizes the importance of eating healthy and rebukes my current, inexcusable diet. Fortunately, every morning (when I am home) my dad will blend vegetables and fruits for me in his current blender obsession- Vitamix. Ever since, I have officially hopped onto this healthy bandwagon and decided to create a healthier diet for myself during the school year here in Seattle.

Breaking down nutrition facts: 
My dad has influenced me in blending my ingredients rather than juicing because creating a smoothie will allow the fiber in fruits and vegetables to be retained and slows the sugar absorption. Juicing creates a process of extracting the liquid contents of the food and eventually will discard the necessary fibers. Often people say that after making a juice, it is imperative to drink it immediately. This is mainly because juices oxidize faster than smoothies. Because smoothies don't oxidize as fast, they are able to maintain the majority of their nutrients for a longer period of time (which is also good if you are slow drinker like me).

Having a delicious green smoothie is definitely a good pick me up every morning, afternoon drink, or even just feeling stressed and overwhelmed. After a drink,  I always feel replenished and fresh. Since smoothies contain more fiber and nutrition they tend to be more filling if you were to want a lighter meal as well.

Recently, I have decided to blend a simple, nutritious, green smoothie for myself and to share with you guys. Now, I don't have the embellished Vitamix like my dad, but what I do have is a tiny blender I got at my school's market (probably a quarter size of the Vitamix).

I N G R E D I E N T S _____________________________________

-serving for 1

• 1/2 a carrot 
• 1 apple
• 1 leaf of kale
• 1/2 cup of orange juice 
• 1 tablespoon of chia seeds (high fiber and protein content and loaded with antioxidants)

D I R E C T I O N S _____________________________________

• Toss together all the ingredients in a blender.
• Blend until all ingredients are well blended.
• Pour it into a cup.
• Enjoy and do the smoothie dance! 

(Source): Incredible Smoothies: Green Smoothies vs. Green Juices